Even ‘minor’ falls-related injuries can result in considerable distress to patients, families and staff looking after them. Falls from bed, like falls in general, are likely to arise from a complex interaction between an individual patient’s medical conditions, physical function, disabilities, medication, mental state, behaviour and environment.Īround 44,000 falls from bed were reported from hospitals in England and Wales during 2006 (NPSA, 2007b), resulting in 90 fractured necks of femurs and 11 deaths. This article has been double-blind peer-reviewedĪlthough most falls happen while patients are mobilising, around one-quarter are falls from bed (National Patient Safety Agency, 2007a).Keywords: Bedrails, Falls, Falls prevention, Patient safety
Patients’ opinions on bedrails, ethical considerations and implications for practice are also explored. It also discusses why so many opinion pieces on bedrails adopt an extremely negative perspective. This article examines the evidence on the effect of bedrails on falls and injury, based on a recent systematic literature review. Nursing Times 105: 26, early online publication. (2009) Bedrails, falls and injury: evidence or opinion? A review of their use and effects.
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